The Influence of Cultural and

Health Belief Systems on

Health Care Practices

Prepared by: PROFESSOR EDYN MICHAEL S. SUGANOB, MAN, RN

 At the end of the lecture discussion, the
students will be able to:
1. Describe the major cultural belief systems of people from diverse
cultures.
2. Identify the major complementary and alternative health care therapies.
3. Describe the influence of culture of culture on symptoms and illness
behaviors

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 TOPICS
•Cultural Belief Systems
•Scientific or Biomedical Health
Paradigm
•Health and Illness Behaviors
•Types of Healing Systems
•Complementary and Alternative
Medicine

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Generally, theories of health and disease or
illness causation are based on the prevailing
worldview held by a group. These worldviews
include a group's'
1. health-related attitudes
2. beliefs, and
3. practices and frequently are referred to as
health belief systems.
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Cultural meanings and cultural belief
systems develop from the shared
experiences of a group in society and are
expressed symbolically. The use of symbols
to define, describe, and relate to the world
around us is one of the basic characteristics
of being human.
People embrace three major health
belief systems or worldviews:
1. magico-religious
2. scientific, and
3. holistic,
In two of these worldviews, disease
is thought of as an entity separate from self,
caused by an agent that is external to the
body but capable of "get-ting in" and causing
damage. This causative agent has been
attributed to a variety of natural and
supernatural phenomena.
 Magico-Religious Health Paradigm
• In the magico-religious paradigm, the world is an arena • The cause-and-effect
in which supernatural forces dominate. relationship is not an
• The fate of the world and those in it, including humans, organic one; rather, the
depends on the actions of God, or the gods, or other cause of health or
supernatural forces for good or evil. In some cases, the illness is mystical.
human individual is at the mercy of such forces Health is seen as a gift
regardless of behavior. In other cases, the gods punish or reward given as a
humans for their transgressions. Many Latino, African sign of God's blessing
American, and Middle Eastern cultures are grounded in and goodwill.
the magico-religious paradigm. e.g. voodoo.

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Scientific or Biomedical Health Paradigm
• The scientific paradigm is the newest and most removed from the interpersonal
human arena of life.
• According to this worldview, life is controlled by a series of physical and
biochemical processes that can be studied and manipulated by humans. Several
specific forms of symbolic thought processes characterize the scientific
paradigm.
• Biomedical beliefs and concepts dominate medical thought in Western societies
and must be understood to appreciate the practice of modern health care.
• In the biomedical model, all aspects of human health can be understood in
physical and chemical terms. This fosters the belief that psychological processes
can be reduced to the study of biochemical exchanges.

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 Holistic Health Paradigm
• In the holistic paradigm, the forces of nature itself must be kept in natural
balance or harmony.
• Human life is only one aspect of nature and a part of the general order of the
cosmos. Everything in the universe has a place and a role to perform according
to natural laws that maintain order.
• The holistic paradigm seeks to maintain a sense of balance or harmony between
humans and the larger universe. Explanations for health and disease are based
not so much on external agents as on imbalance or disharmony among the
human, geophysical, and metaphysical forces of the universe.
• In the holistic paradigm, whereby disease is the result of multiple environment-
host interactions, tuberculosis is caused by the interrelationship of poverty,
malnutrition, overcrowding, and mycobacterium.
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 HEALTH AND ILLNESS BEHAVIORS
are expressed in the roles people assume
after identifying a symptom. Related to these behaviors are the roles individuals
assign to others and the status given to the role players. People assume various
types of behaviors once they have recognized a symptom.
is any activity undertaken by a person who believes himself
or herself to be healthy for the purpose of preventing disease or detecting disease in
an asymptomatic stage.
is any activity undertaken by a person who feels ill for the
purpose of defining the state of his health and of discovering a suit able remedy. Sick
role behavior is any activity undertaken by a person who considers himself ill for the
purpose of getting well.

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1. one's beliefs about health and illness;
2. personal factors such as age, education, knowledge, or experience
with a given disease condition; and
3. cues to action, such as advertisements in the media, the illness of a
relative, or the advice of friends.

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 Healing Systems
HEALING SYSTEM refers to the accumulated sciences, arts, and
techniques of restoring and preserving health that are used by any cultural
group.
• In complex societies in which several cultural traditions flourish, healers
tend to compete with one another and/or to view their scopes of practice as
separate from one another.
• In some instances, however, practitioners may make referrals to different
healing systems.
• For example, a nurse may contact a rabbi to assist a Jewish patient with
spiritual needs, or a curandero may advise a Mexican-American patient to
visit a physician or nurse practitioner for an antibiotic when traditional
practices fail to heal a wound.
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 Types of Healing Systems
SELF-CARE
When self-treatment is
ineffective, people are likely to
turn to professional and/or folk
(indigenous, generic,
traditional) healing systems. Or
perhaps it might be more
accurate to say that
professional health care
procedures include those that
supplement or substitute for
self-care practices. Self-care is
the largest component of the
North American health care
system and accounts for
billions of dollars in revenue
annually.
PROFESSIONAL CARE FOLK HEALING
SYSTEMS
SYSTEM
are formally taught, learned, and
A folk healing system is a set of
transmitted professional care,
beliefs that has a shared social
health, illness, wellness, and
dimension and reflects what
related knowledge and practice
people actually do when they are
skills that prevail in professional
ill versus what society says they
institutions, usually with
ought to do according to a set of
multidisciplinary personnel to
social standards Although the
serve consumers. Nurses,
terms complementary,
physicians, physical therapists,
alternative, and naturalistic
and other licensed health care
healing are sometimes used
providers are examples of
interchangeably with folk healing
professionals who constitute
systems, the key consideration
professional care systems..
that defines folk systems is their
history of tradition.
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 COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine -(CAM) is an umbrella term for hundreds of

therapies based on health care systems of people from around the world.
• , is the reference
point with all other therapies being considered complementary (in addition to) or
alternative (instead of to it. It is used most often to refer to conventional medical
practice, which emphasizes killing bacteria and suppressing symptoms.
(or more accurately health care) is practiced by
those who have earned either MD (medical doctor) or DO (doctor of osteopathy)
degrees and by other related health professionals such as registered nurses, physical
therapists, and psychologists. Some dietary supplements have been incorporated
into conventional medicine.

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COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES

• The
), the U.S. Federal Government's
lead agency for scientific research on CAM, has defined CAM as a group of
diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are
not currently considered to be part of conventional or allopathic medicine.
• NCCAM's mission is to

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NCCAM CLASSIFIES CAM THERAPIES INTO FIVE CATEGORIES:

are built upon complete

systems of theory and practice. Often these systems have evolved apart from and
earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the United States or Canada.
Examples of alternative medical systems that have developed in Western cultures
uses a variety of techniques designed to
enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily functions and symptoms. Some
techniques that were considered CAM in the past have become mainstream (e.g.,
patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy). Other mind-body
techniques are still considered CAM, including meditation, prayer, mental healing,
and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, or dance.

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NCCAM CLASSIFIES CAM THERAPIES INTO FIVE CATEGORIES:

in CAM use subStances

found in nature, such as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples
include dietary supplements, herbal products, and the use of other so-
called "natural" but as yet scientifically unproven therapies (e.g., using
shark cartilage to treat cancer).
in CAM
are based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the
body. Some examples include chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation,
and massage.

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NCCAM CLASSIFIES CAM THERAPIES INTO FIVE CATEGORIES:

involve the use of energy fields in two ways:

a. are intended to affect energy fields that
purportedly surround and penetrate the human body. The existence of
such fields has not yet been scientifically proven. Some forms of energy
therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating
the body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples
include qigong, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch.
b. ,
involve the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed
fields, magnetic fields, or alternating-current or direct-current fields.

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SELECTED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES:

refers to a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the

body by a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most studied scientifically
involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by
electrical stimulation. When heat is applied to the needles, it is referred to as moxibustion.
involves the use of essential oils (extracts or essences) from flowers, herbs, and
trees to promote health and well-being.
includes diet and herbal remedies and emphasizes the use of body, mind, and spirit in
disease prevention and treatment.
focuses on the relationship between bodily structure (primarily that of the spine)
and function, and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health. Chiropractors
use manipulative therapy as an integral treatment tool.
are products (other than tobacco) taken by mouth that contain a
dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet. Dietary, ingredients may include vitamins, minerals,
herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, and metabolites.
Dietary supplements come in many forms, including extract concentrates, tablets, capsules, gelcaps,
liquids, and powders. 19
 is a CAM alternative medical system. In homeopathic
medicine, there is a belief that "like cures like," meaning that small, highly diluted quantities of
medicinal substances are given to cure symptoms, even though the same substances given at higher
or more concentrated doses would actually cause those symptoms.
- therapists manipulate muscle and connective tissue to enhance function o those
tissues and promote relaxation and well-being.
, is based on the premise that
there is a healing power in the body that establishes, main-rains, and restores health. Practitioners
work with the patient with a goal of supporting this power through treatments such as nutrition and
lifestyle counseling. dietary supplements, medicinal plants, exercise. homeopathy, and traditional
Chinese medicine.
is a form of conventional medicine that, in part, emphasizes
diseases arising in the musculoskeletal system. There is an underlying belief that all of the body's
systems work together, and disturbances in one system may affect function elsewhere in the body.
Some osteopathic physicians practice osteopathic manipulation, a full-body system of hands-on
techniques to alleviate pain, restore function,20
and promote health and well-being.
 is a component of traditional Chinese medicine that combines movement, meditation,
and regulation of breathing to enhance the flow of gi (pronounced chee and meaning vital energy in
the body, improve blood circulation, and enhance immune function.
is à Japanese word representing Universal Life Energy. Reiki is based on the belief that
when spiritual energy is channeled through a Reiki practitioner, the patient's spirit is healed, which in
tum heals the physical body.
is based on the premise that it is the healing force of the therapist
that affects the patient's recovery; healing is promoted when the body's energies are in balance, and
by passing their hands over the patient, healers can identify energy imbalances
is the current name for an ancient system of
health care from China. TCM is based on a concept of balanced qi or vital energy, which is believed
to flow throughout the body. Qi regulates a person's spiritual, emotional mental, and physical balance
and is influenced by the opposing forces of yin (negative energy) and yang (positive energy). Disease
is proposed to result from the flow of qi being disrupted and yin and yang becoming imbalanced.
Among the components of TCM are herbal and nutritional therapy, restorative physical exercises,
meditation, acupuncture, and remedial massage.
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 THANK YOU!
PROFESSOR EDYN MICHAEL S. SUGANOB, MAN, RN

Email
suganobedynmichael@idc.edu.ph